1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a stencil disposal box detachably provided on a main body of a stencil printing machine, in which used stencil sheets are stored.
2. Description of the Related Art
A stencil printing machine functions to print an ink image according to the steps below. Specifically, a thermal head thermosensitively perforates a stencil sheet so as to correspond to a desired image. This thermosensitively perforated stencil sheet is wound around the outer peripheral surface of a printing drum. Then, a print sheet is fed such that the stencil sheet thus wound is pressed onto the print sheet. During this press conveying process, ink is transferred to the print sheet through a perforation of the stencil sheet. In the above-described stencil printing machine, the stencil sheet used for the printing is removed from the printing drum, then the removed stencil sheet is conveyed to the stencil disposal box and stored therein, and then, stencil sheet thermosensitively perforated so as to correspond to a new desired image is wound around the outer peripheral surface of the printing drum. With such a constitution, the stencil printing machine can print new images repeatedly. If the stencil sheet disposal box is filled with the used stencil sheet, it is required to detach the stencil disposal box from the stencil printing machine main body to dispose of the stencil sheet in the stencil sheet disposal box to a wastebasket.
FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a conventional stencil disposal box, and FIG. 2 shows a sectional view of the same. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a stencil disposal box 100 is constituted of a stencil disposal box main body 101 having an opening 101a on the upper side thereof and a sweeping member 102 provided in the stencil disposal box main body 101. This sweeping member 102 has an approximately U-shape and the both ends thereof are rotatably supported by rotation support portions 103 to the stencil disposal box main body 101.
As shown by the solid line in FIGS. 1 and 2, when the stencil box 100 is mounted to a stencil printing machine main body (not shown), the sweeping member 102 is located at a position where it contacts the bottom plane of the stencil disposal box due to its own weight. Also, as shown by the broken line of FIG. 2, when the opening 101a of the stencil disposal box 100 is turned downward, the sweeping member 102 rotates due to its own weight so as to separate from the bottom plane.
Next, description will be made for a disposal process of the used stencil sheet 105 contained in the stencil disposal box 100 to a wastebasket 104 with reference to FIG. 3.
When the stencil disposal box 100 is filled with the stencil sheet 105 stored therein, a user detaches the stencil disposal box 100 from the stencil printing machine main body. Then, the user carries this detached stencil disposal box 100 to the position of the wastebasket 104. At a position above the wastebasket 104, the user turns downward the opening 101a of the stencil disposal box 100 as shown by the solid and broken lines of FIG. 3. Consequently, the sweeping member 102 rotates due to its own weight so as to separate from the bottom plane of the stencil disposal box main body 101 and pushes the stencil sheet 105 to the side of opening 101a. Thus, the stencil sheet 105 drops into the wastebasket 104 (Refer a gazette of Utility Model Registration 2547498).
In this conventional example, even if the used stencil sheet 105 is stuck to the inner surface of the stencil disposal box main body 101 due to viscosity of the ink adhered on the used stencil sheet 105, the sweeping member 102 can drop such stuck stencil sheet 105 easily.
However, in the conventional stencil disposal box 100 described above, the sweeping member 102 rotated due to its own weight. Therefore, in the case where the adhesion force of the ink on the stencil sheet 105 was strong, sometimes the sweeping member 102 could not rotate, and thus, the stencil sheet 105 could not be dropped. Especially, when using the apparatus, in which the stencil sheet 105 is compressed and stored in the stencil disposal box 100, the stencil sheet 105 is apt to adhere strongly due to the ink viscosity. Here, a method that the sweeping member 102 is made heavier or larger may be conceived as a solution therefor. However, the stencil disposal box 100 proportionally becomes heavier or larger, resulting in the undesirable deterioration of the operability thereof.
The object of the present invention is to provide a stencil disposal box capable of disposing of used stencil sheet, which sticks to the stencil disposal box main body due to ink viscosity, by dropping the same from the stencil disposal box main body surely and easily.
From the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a stencil disposal box, which is detachably provided to a stencil printing machine main body and stores used stencil sheet when the stencil disposal box is mounted to the stencil printing machine main body. The stencil disposal box is characterized by comprising: a stencil disposal box main body having an opening formed thereon, through which the stencil sheet is conveyed, and storing the conveyed stencil sheet; a sweeping member rotatively provided so as to move between an innermost position approximately adjacent to an inner surface of the stencil disposal box main body and a sweeping position located more adjacently to the opening side than the innermost position; and an operation member for operating movement of the sweeping member.
In this stencil disposal box, when a user turns downward the opening of the stencil disposal box main body and operates the operation member, the sweeping member moves from the innermost position to the sweeping position, and the used stencil sheet stuck to the stencil disposal box main body due to the ink viscosity is forcibly separated therefrom by this moving sweeping member.
In the second aspect of the present invention, the ribs extending in approximately parallel to a conveying direction of the stencil sheet are further provided on the inner surface of the stencil disposal box main body.
In this stencil disposal box, since the stencil sheet conveyed in the stencil disposal box main body contacts the rib, the contact area between the stencil sheet and the stencil disposal box main body becomes small. Accordingly, the used stencil sheet hardly adheres to the stencil disposal box main body, and even if adhered, the adhesion force is weak.
In the third aspect of the present invention, the ribs are provided on a surface of the sweeping member, to which the stencil sheet contacts.
In this stencil disposal box, since the stencil sheet contacts the rib of the sweeping member when the sweeping member moves from the innermost position to the sweeping position, the contact area between the stencil sheet and the sweeping member is small. Therefore, the used stencil sheet hardly adheres to the sweeping member.
In the fourth aspect of the present invention, the ribs of the sweeping member are set to have a height so as not to protrude from the ribs on the stencil disposal box main body when the sweeping member is located at the innermost position.
In this stencil disposal box, the stencil sheet conveyed in the stencil disposal box main body contacts the rib on the stencil disposal box main body, but does not contact the rib on the sweeping member, and in such a state, the stencil sheet is stored in the stencil disposal box main body. When the stencil disposal box is detached from the stencil printing machine main body and the operation member is operated, the rib on the sweeping member first contacts the used stencil sheet.
In the fifth aspect of the present invention, an urging means for urging the sweeping member to move to the innermost position is further provided.
In this stencil disposal box, even if the user does not return the sweeping member to the innermost position forcibly by operating the operation member after moving the sweeping member to the sweeping position, the sweeping member automatically returns to the innermost position surely due to the urging force of the urging means. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of the situation that the sweeping member is not located at the innermost position due to the influence from some external force at the time of mounting the sweeping member to the stencil printing machine main body. Also, when the user turns downward the opening of the stencil disposal box main body so as to drop the stencil sheet, unless the user operates the operation member, the sweeping member is held at the innermost position due to the urging force of the urging means, and the sweeping member does not move even if the user turns downward the opening of the stencil disposal box main body.
In the sixth aspect of the present invention, the operation member is provided in the vicinity of a handle portion of the stencil disposal box main body where a user can operate the operation member while gripping the handle portion.
In this stencil disposal box, a user can easily operate the operation member while gripping the handle with the same hand.
In the seventh aspect of the present invention, the stencil disposal box main body is formed of a bottom plane, side planes disposed on the both sides of the bottom plane and a back plane disposed on the back side of the bottom plane, the ribs are at least provided on the bottom plane, a position adjacent to the back plane of the stencil disposal box main body is set as the innermost position of the sweeping member, the sweeping member rotatively moves to the sweeping position with using an upper end portion of the sweeping member as a rotation center, and a lower end position of the sweeping member is set at least lower than the height of the rib on the bottom plane of the stencil disposal box main body.
In this stencil disposal box, when the sweeping member moves from the innermost position to the sweeping position, the sweeping member surely interferes the used stencil sheet stored in the stencil disposal box main body and moves the stencil sheet toward the opening.
In the eighth aspect of the present invention, the sweeping member has a plurality of sweeping claws along a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the stencil sheet.
In this stencil disposal box, the sweeping claws of the sweeping member sweep away the used stencil sheet stored in the stencil disposal box main body by pushing the same at many points.